Elizabeth Oxborrow-Cowan

Knowledge in action

Having qualified as an archivist 15 years ago I have become very familiar with the technical and strategic challenges that face archivists and archive collections.  I have run a very successful archive consultancy since 2003 and over that time I have realised that good solutions need not only strong archival skills but strong foundations of vision and goals delivered through practical action plans.  With that in mind I am now a qualified management consultant and thus I bring a whole skills set of visioning, analysis, consultation and solution development.  As an Expert Adviser to the Heritage Lottery Fund these skills are vital to me.

But my approach is not just about technical skills.  I recognise the importance of listening to those with specific interests in a project and in supporting my client in delivering solutions to an issue.  I  believe in developing strong relationships with my clients and liaising closely ensuring clients are both involved and informed of my work.  With many of my clients the relationship continues long after the project finishes and I am always happy to chat through new challenges they may be facing.  Reflecting this strong client relationship I can provide referees for all the projects I have worked upon.

A good consultant must have up-to-date knowledge.  I invest heavily in training and I am constantly seeking to expand my skills base.  I am also very informed about current issues in the archives sector, partly through my professional posts.  I am Director of Publicity and Communication for the National Council on Archives which puts me at the heart of strategic activity including the All Party Parliamentary Group on Archives . I am also an Assessor for the Society of Archivists’ Registration Scheme, supporting the development of the archives profession.  Through my seat on the UK Working Group of the United Nations’ Memory of the World Programme I help to promote the importance of the British archival inheritance.

I know that clients often need a range of skills to deliver a practical solution so I have a wide range of associates that I can call upon.  My network provides extensive resources including conservation, records management, project management, architectural design and  audience analysis .

Above all I believe in working closely with my clients to ensure I provide them with what they need.

What my clients say about me

A wide knowledge of professional issues and enthusiasm for our project.

The project has delivered so much more than we anticipated and will be extremely valuable for futre work and planning in the archive and the wider museum.

We were especially impressed by your ability to listen, synthesise the issues and offer solutions. We were also impressed by the comprehensive product that you produced, which was beyond our expectations.

I valued your willingness to listen and respond to the client, recosnigising their expertise as valid and explaining your own line of thinking.

I valued your enthusisam, staying positive and responding promptly to queries.

Your presenatations were excellent and insired many people that attended.  They were ptiched just right for the audience.

You were always flexibile in your approach, very responsive and accommodating!  I was particularly impressed with the organisation of the collecting policy training day as I know from my own experience that orgnisaing such an event is tricky.  Also, you managed working with two regional agency clients very successfully.